I've been to Sewing Expo (short name that everyone who lives around here knows) umpteen times :-) Sometimes I've gone with friends and sometimes I've stayed up there in another friend's motor home and we've gone our separate ways during the day and connected up for dinner. Other times, I've just zipped up there for the day. It's all good, no matter what the plan!

This year, I went it alone - stopped and got $600 from the ATM, got a late start and ended up parking farther back in the "blue" lot than I've ever been (this WILL come up later!).

I hoofed it into the fairgrounds and immediately headed for Billie's Designer Fabrics, which was to be my first AND last stop of the day. Their "short cuts" are always a magnet for me. I gathered up an armful in mere seconds. The owners recognized me and I'm sure "Ka-Ching" was going off in their heads. $160.00 later, I hauled off a completely full huge, handled bag.

I went right over to the bag check. This year it was in a slightly different place and manned by someone other than the 4-H clubs. Oh well. I paid my buck and said goodbye to my purchases.

I power-shopped for the next three hours, finding patterns, Ottobre magazines (I was sucked in by PR reviews!), patterns, beads, patterns, Vogue fabrics...and did I mention patterns? I made another trip to the bag check. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I'm thinking "I'm going to have to schlepp all these bags to my car" but I dismissed those thoughts as I came across some cute fat quarters that I just couldn't pass up.

I was feeling smug that I didn't get totally crazy like I did last year when I plunked down $40 for a pink drill (my mechanic son REALLY wanted to take THAT to his shop and ask if anyone wanted to "borrow" his drill).

That smugness left when I realized that in a mere three hours, I had spent that $600 bucks! Ah, well....what is money for anyways if not to enjoy spending? Billie's was my last stop, where I coughed up another $140. Hey - there was some SERIOUS flooding recently in the Centralia-Chehalis area, and although their store was NOT flooded, business did drop off for quite some time because of it. So it was my civic duty to help them, right?

Time to head for the bag check...uh oh....I have two huge bags checked, and a third one I'd just filled (plus my purse!). I retrieved my bags (and gave them an extra couple of bucks), and headed for the gate. Hmmmm...these bags are heavy. I took 100 steps (yes, I counted) and then set all the bags down for a minute or so. Picked them up, shuffled them around as if that would help - it didn't, and 100 more steps. I did this all the way to the car. I drove the 30 miles back home and it took me three days to sneak all the bags into the house without DH noticing.

I spent the rest of the weekend resisting the urge to run back up there and see what I had missed the first time around. I mentioned that to DH, and he was naive enough to say "Well, go back up there!" He had no clue.....I CAN report that I've sewed up two pieces of fabric I bought, and made the beads into necklaces. I can die happy, now :-) Ok, maybe I want to live long enough to go back up there next year.....

Made In Australia

vintage sewing patterns

pakrk said... (3/28/08 2:29 PM)ReplyGreat report! The Expo is on my wish list of sewing-related trips I want to take. If only there was an associated DH convention next door!

nadinec said... (3/16/08 9:04 PM)ReplyJudith - I often judge 4-H exhibits at the SW Washington Fair, and no matter how I try to get back on the freeway, my car ALWAYS leads me to Billie's! Wool/bamboo sounds wonderful - I haven't bought any bamboo yet, but I'm thinking it should be on my wish list :-)

silversewist said... (3/16/08 6:18 PM)ReplyToo funny! And I love, love, love Billie's, also. Did you know that her store is just blocks off the freeway? I think I will have an extra stop on my next trip through Chehalis! My power shopping episode occurred just across the aisle at The Wool House - not quite up to the $600 mark, but close, very close. Four pieces: 100% Irish linen, wool jersey, wool/linen, and best of all - wool/bamboo - YUM!

jhansby said... (3/16/08 0:48 AM)ReplyLoved your report!! I had lots of bags, too, but luckily spread it out over 2 days so the load wasn't as bad....although the first day I had to walk in the rain with those bags...used one on my head!!